Device for throwing gramophones in and out of operation.



No. 732,820. PATENTED JULY 7,1903;

- T. BIRNBAUM.

DEVICE FOR THROWING GRAMOPHONES IN AND OUT OF OPERATION.

L APPLICATION FILED MAY'5, 1902. no 110122;. 2 Sums-slum: 1.

THEODORE BIRNBAUM,

PATENT Patented July 7, 190a.

EEIcE.

F BERLIN, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR. THROW ING GRAMOPHQNES IN AND OUT OF OPERATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 732,820, dated July '7, 1903. Application filed May 1902. Serial No. 106,040. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODORE BIRNBAUM, managing director, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, at present residing at 36 Ritterstrasse, in the city of Berlin, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Devices for Throwing Gramo to disengage the gramophone turning disk,

while after the reproduction of the piece of music the sounding-box is automatically lifted ofi by the device and is returned into its initial position. The mere turning of a lever for about a quarter-turn replaces all the ma-' nipulations which are otherwise necessary for the operation of a gramophone, while the stopping of the apparatus is "effected automatically, as already mentioned.

2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

The new construction is shown on the accompanying drawings in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 in several views.

In a support a, which is attached to the casing b of the gramophone or is integral with the same, a horizontal shaft 0' is jour-.

naled, which may be turned by a crank-arm cl. An inclined plate eis connected to the shaft 0 or to the crank-arm (Z, respectively. Aspiral spring mounted upon the shaft'c tends to retain the crank-arm d with the plate e in their vertical position, as shown in Figs. The plate e is provided at its rear extremity with tion of the plate e is forced against the gram 0- phone-disk h by the action of the spring f, and thus effects a braking action'-that is to say, the gramophone turning disk is stopped while the parts of themechanisin are in their operative position. Upon the upper inclined surface of the plate (2 rests the lever 71, carrying the soundingbox Z and which is fulcrumed at It. In the vertical position of the plate the levert' moves by it own gravity down upon the lower front part of the plate le and places itself against the crank-arm (Z. The sounding-box remains in this position above and at the outside of the sounding plate 3, so that the lower part of the sounding-box is easily accessible for the insertion and mounting of a stylus or needle.

When it is desired to operate the grarnophone after the operating mechanism has been wound up, the crank-arm cl is turned to the left for about a quarter-turn until the plate 9 has assumed an approximately horizon tal position. The projection on which the braking-snug g is fastened will in this position push back the spring-acting projection m, so as to retain the plate by this projection in its horizontal position, The lever i, to which the sounding-box is attached, is provided with a staple like projection o, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the draw ings. jection pushes the arm 1; back and eifects a displacement of the sounding-box toward the center of the sounding-plate, besides lowering the sounding-box Z. As already mentioned, the sounding-box is above and at the outside of the sounding-plate in its raised position, the plate c being vertical. For lowering the sounding-box it' therefore becomesnecessary to also effect a displacement of the soundingbox toward the center, so as to guide the needle to make it enter the sounding-line, which commences in the proximity of the outer edge of the sounding-plate. Simultaneously with the turning down of the crank-arm d the braking-s11 ug g. is withdrawn from the gramophone turning disk h, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings-that is to say, the brake is withdrawn, so as to release the gramophone turning disk which is rotated by the mechanism. When the needle has entered the record-lineof the rotating sounding-plate, the reproductionof the piece of music of the sounding-plate commences, which in consequence of the spiral-shaped arrangement of the record-line causes the sounding-box to move gradually toward the center, while the lever 2', carrying the sound ing-box, isrotated simultaneously on its shaft at 7c. As soon as the needle of the soundingbox has arrived at the end of the record-line IOU the rotation of the lever t. is continued, by

means of any well-known positive guiding movement of the needle, toward the center of the sounding-plate, the said lever impinging against an upper extension of the springacting projection m, which is thrown back, so as to release the plate 6. By the action of the springf the plate e is returned to its vertical position, and in consequence the braking-snug g is forced against the gramophone turning disk 71, so as to stop the latter, while at the same time the sounding-box Z is lifted off from the sounding-plate and is returned to its initial position with the lever i, the lever 2' moving down upon the upper inclined edge of the plate 6 into its initial position, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. For operating the gramophone once more it is only necessary to turn the crank-arm g' to the left until the plate e is retained in its horizontal position by the projection m, the mechanism being likewise wound up, if necessary, while after the piece of music is finished the throwing out of operation of the apparatus is effected automatically.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

Combined starting and stopping device for gramophones comprising the combination with a gramophone-plate and asounding-box of a spring actuated horizontal rotatable shaft, a rotating handle and an inclined way and a brake for the gramophone-plate, a pivoted sounding-box-bearing arm and which is movable along the said inclined way and provided with a projection to engage with the said rotating handle, a spring-acting arm for retaining the inclined way in its horizontal position and in the path of the said gramophone-brake and bearing a stop against which the sound-box-bearing arm may impinge and release the inclined way.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THEODORE BIRNBAUM.

Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HAsPER. 

